March 7, 2025
Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii cures 1,000th patient with hepatitis C
The milestone highlights its Viral Hepatitis Clinic's crucial role in addressing Hawaii's high rates of liver cancer and hepatitis C through effective care.
The Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Viral Hepatitis Clinic has reached a remarkable milestone by curing its 1,000th patient of hepatitis C, an achievement that was unfathomable just a decade ago. This significant accomplishment highlights the clinic’s dedication to combating hepatitis C and improving patient outcomes.
“It’s a very satisfying thing to make that call and tell someone they’re cured,” said Rashmi Baragi, MD, director of the viral hepatitis clinic. “You can prevent so much damage to a patient from this infection.”
Estimated 2 million
adults in the U.S.
have chronic hepatitis C
Despite the availability of drugs that can cure 95% of hepatitis C cases, 2 in 3 people with health insurance who have hepatitis C in the U.S. remain untreated within a year of diagnosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kaiser Permanente’s viral hepatitis clinic in Hawaii stands out as a model for effective hepatitis care.
“Hawaiʻi has one of the highest rates of liver cancer in the United States, and the leading causes are viral hepatitis,” said Thaddeus Pham, viral hepatitis prevention coordinator at the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health and someone whom Dr. Tarquin Collis, considers a bedrock of hepatitis care in the Hawaiʻi community. “Given the impact of viral hepatitis on our local communities, we partner with health care organizations and community-based agencies across the state to enhance access to hepatitis services, including testing, immunizations, care coordination, and treatment.”
In the decades since Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii started the viral hepatitis clinic, Hawaii Permanente Medical Group physicians Tarquin Collis, MD, chief of infectious disease, and Katie Kingsley, MD, an internal medicine hospitalist at the clinic, have joined forces with local organizations such as Hep Free Hawaii, a coalition of providers and public health leaders working together to eliminate hepatitis in the islands.
“It has been remarkable to watch a disease go from something that we didn’t understand very well, and we had terrible treatments for, to a disease that we can largely eradicate without much drama,” said Dr. Collis.
It feels like a thousand stories and a thousand lives whose trajectories have been transformed for the better. That’s a wonderful feeling and an incredible story to tell. Tarquin Collis, MD
When Dr. Collis joined the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group in 2001, he saw an opportunity to leverage resources to fight hepatitis C. The clinic was founded in 2004 with a modest budget and quickly doubled the cure rates of patients within Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii.
The approval of direct-acting medications such as Harvoni in late 2014 revolutionized hepatitis C treatment, increasing cure rates to 95% to 98% with minimal side effects.
An estimated 2 million adults in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis C, with new infections on the rise. Many patients are unaware they have the virus, as it often remains asymptomatic. Kaiser Permanente’s universal hepatitis C antibody screening and reflexive testing have accelerated the pathway for members to be cured.
Honolulu resident Paul Lance, one of the clinic’s early patients, was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1986. After undergoing 11 months of treatment, Lance was cured. “I consider myself very lucky that it worked,” said Lance. “The viral hepatitis clinic is helping so many people, and I’m very, very grateful to them.”
Another Honolulu resident, who chose to keep her name confidential, was celebrated as the 1,000th patient cured. She discovered she had hepatitis C during routine blood work at one of her appointments and was immediately referred to the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Viral Hepatitis Clinic. Despite her initial concerns — the patient mentioned how being diagnosed with hepatitis C can come with a stigma — she looks back positively on her experience.
“After I met with Dr. Collis and the team, I was like, all right, let’s do this,” she said. Talking to her care team was “just like a conversation with friends.”
She is thankful for her treatment and was relieved that she was able to continue working during her treatment. Today, she has completely changed her lifestyle. “I feel like I have a second chance at life. I changed my diet, I stopped drinking. I’m all for a healthy liver.”
“One thousand patients — it feels like both a big number and a small number at the same time,” said Dr. Collis. “To me, it feels like a thousand stories and a thousand lives whose trajectories have been transformed for the better. That’s a wonderful feeling and an incredible story to tell.”
